


Racing Heart

by TheCookieMonster77



Series: Curveballs [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Humor, Romance, Shut up I love them, They're inarticulate and oblivious dorks, but then a challenge is issued...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 05:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3924241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCookieMonster77/pseuds/TheCookieMonster77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He knocks her off her feet and her heart goes racing after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Racing Heart

**Author's Note:**

> While I am taking beginners Aikido lessons this quarter, I am shit at remembering the names of the techniques and remember very few (it's also my very first martial arts class in general, which I'm sure is obvious). So, since Google's being surprisingly unhelpful at the moment, I'm leaving them out (the main move I talk about in here is called kyoso doku or something along those lines - so don't quote me on it and I'll correct it when I learn what the actual name is). But really, I don't think it's too big of a problem seeing how that's not the exactly the focus in this story and it hopefully won't cause much confusion.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

 

Erza  _loves_ Aikido.

Granted, she's always been quite the martial arts nut, taking classes ever since she was six. But, there's something...special about Aikido. Maybe it's how graceful the style is, the way they emphasize how to flow with the energy of the universe. Maybe it was their philosophy of "What seems weak is strong and what seems strong is weak." Or maybe it's about how it's all about neutralizing or stopping a fight without hurting anyone (such a pure and just art!). As much as she loves fighting, it would be nice knowing how to bring a conflict to a stop relatively peacefully.

Well, whatever it was, Erza is so glad she decided to take Aikido this quarter.

She runs and falls into a roll, popping up gracefully at the end of it with her hands up in a block. She grins triumphantly and runs to the back of the line, keeping an eye on her classmates as they complete their own rolls in pairs. She frowns slightly at some of the sloppier techniques but keeps her mouth shut, letting the senior students give out pointers rather than a newbie like her. Personally, she doesn't see the difficulty but, then again, not all of her peers have been taking various martial arts for over a decade.

Rob-sensei claps, and Erza gracefully falls into a kneeling position on the edge of the mat. She tosses her ponytail over her shoulder and calmly waits for the teacher to begin the next lesson.

She watches Sensei sit knee-to-knee with one of the senior students and demonstrate how to find one's center of balance in that position. She outright grins when he has the senior student grip his wrists and the older man easily pulls the large student off his knees and into a submissive hold.

"Now students," Sensei says calmly, his voice like a slow river. "This is a meditation exercise and we will practice it at the end of every class. We don't have much more time left in class so don't be upset if you don't get it today. Find a partner to practice with and ask for help if you did not understand the instructions."

Erza's smile slips as she looks to her left and right, all of her neighbors already having friends in the class and all of her previous partners quickly grabbing someone else (really, if they aren't interested in perfecting the moves, why are they even here?). Maybe she should have made a bit more effort to convince Gajeel or maybe even Mira to join the class with her.

"Do you need a partner?" a deep voice asks above her head.

Erza's head snaps up and she blinks when she meets the guy's dark eyes. She realizes that he's the same senior student who keeps helping Sensei with his demonstrations. She eyes his broad shoulders straining against his gi and his dark hakama pants that make him look like a brick wall. Her competitive spirit perks up at the idea of a challenge and she flashes him a smile. "That would be lovely."

The guy gestures for her to come further towards the middle of the mat and kneels. He smiles reassuringly and motions for her to come closer. "It won't work if you're that far away. You really do need to be knee-to-knee for this kind of thing."

Erza shifts closer and holds out her wrists. She blinks when the guy shakes his head. "What?"

The guy gestures to the top of his head. "You might want to take out your ponytail. According to my sister, it can give you a headache if you land on it too many times and it doesn't really matter if your hair's down for this exercise."

"Oh, thanks." Erza pulls the hair tie off and slips in on her wrists as she looks back at the guy. Something flickers in the back of her head and she squints at him. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

The guy shrugs. "Did you go to Rosemary Elementary School too?"

Erza beams. "You grew up Rosemary Village?" She nearly shoves her hand in the guy's face in her eagerness. "I'm Erza."

The guy chuckles, gripping her hand with his large one. His own calluses rub against hers. "I'm Simon." He gently tugs on one of her bangs. "I remember your hair."

Erza laughs and flips her hair over her shoulder. "Most people do."

Simon smiles again and holds out his wrists. "How about I demonstrate the technique first?"

He waits for her to grab his wrists before slowly pulling with his right and pushing with his left. "Now, this is to pull your opponent off their center of gravity. While you're doing this, shift your hips," he says as he pulls her a little off to the side, his torso still straight and his left knee coming up, "and you want the same knee as the hand that's pushing to swing around so that you can maneuver into a better position to hold your opponent down." He twists back into his original position. "Now I'll do it without slowing down. You ready?"

Erza barely finishes nodding before the sudden sensation of flying hits her. She feels weightless for a moment before her wrists are slammed onto the mat and Simon is leaning over her. A small giggle escapes her and she can't stop her smile from growing as her heart thumps wildly in her chest. "Wow," she breathes, her eyes flashing towards Simon's.

"Um." Simon clears his throat and releases her wrists, quickly shuffling back into his kneeling position. He coughs and scratches the back of his neck. "So, yeah, that's how you do it."

Erza sits up on her elbows and grins. "It's quite the adrenaline rush."

Simon's lips quirk to the side. "Seems like a longer fall than it really is, doesn't it?"

Erza's lips stretch back further and she quickly rolls onto her knees and inches towards Simon. "Let's do it again!"

Simon blinks and he seems a little confused. "Sure. I can show you how it's done on the other side too." He holds out his wrists and she eagerly grabs them.

In seconds, Erza is flying through the air with adrenaline pumping through her veins before hitting the mat with a solid  _thwack_. Simon is leaning over her again, his strong jaw inches from her own. Erza laughs breathlessly. "This is fun!"

Simon cocks his head and stares at her as though she hit her head a bit too hard. "You call being thrown to the ground fun?"

Erza rolls her eyes but, her grin doesn't leave her face. "Oh please, it's not that far of a fall and we're on a mat. I'm talking about the flying sensation!"

Simon chuckles and pulls her upright. "It's even better when you're the one slamming them down onto the mat."

Erza scrambles towards him, hopping awkwardly on her knees so that she can properly line up with Simon. He clears her throat and she blinks down at him, startled by his pink cheeks. "Are you okay?"

Simon tugs on his ear. "Er, you might- ah, nevermind," he says quickly. "You ready?"

Erza blinks before shrugging, shoving her wrists out in front of her with a grin. "You won't know what hit you!" Simon just rolls his eyes with a half smile before his warm hands grip her wrists and she waits until he nods that he's ready. She takes a deep breath before twisting her arms and whipping around on her knees.

Only, instead of throwing him to the ground, she's met with stonewall resistance. she tries pulling him as she twists but instead of him underneath her, she ends with her shoulder pressed up against Simon's large one. She snaps her head around to see Simon smirking down at her. "Wait what?"

Simon's dark eyes seem to dance and he nudges her leg with his. "Wrong knee."

Erza blinks before she remembers that she had pushed with her left and had moved her right leg, thereby twisting the wrong way completely. She frowns. "Dang it."

Simon chuckles and she turns to look at him. "I wouldn't worry about it much," he says reassuringly, releasing his grip on her wrists. "It's tricky the first couple of times."

Erza sets her shoulders and she beams at him (though it slightly fades because he's giving her this oddly scared look). "It won't be a problem!" Erza slams her fist into her palm. "I will practice until I get this perfectly!"

Simon scratches the back of his head. "Ah, no, it's really not big of deal if you don't get this right away…"

Erza knows she hears him say something but, it all goes in one ear and out the other. She quickly settles into the correct kneeling position and holds her wrists out expectantly. Simon hesitates for some reason and just as he grabs her wrists, Sensei claps for them to line up along the edge of the mats.

Erza pouts a bit before yanking her wrists out of Simon's grip and grabbing his. He gulps when she leans towards him. "Can you stay after class to help me?"

Simon gulps. "Ah, it's late?"

Erza eyes the clock and shrugs. "It's only nine. That's not a problem for me if it's okay with you." She catches his eye and clasps her hands together. "Please?"

"Er, um…" Simon gulps again before nodding hesitantly. "Uh, sure?"

Erza claps her hands together. "Thank you!"

Simon chuckles nervously. "Don't mention it. Come on, let's line up."

Erza beams while she and the whole class pay their respects to their teachers and patiently waits while everyone fills in the attendance roster. It's not until about fifteen minutes after class is over that she can finally get on the mat with Simon. By this point, almost everyone else was gone.

Simon tugs on his ear and squints at her. "So...er, do you need me to demonstrate the technique again?"

Erza perks up. "Sure," she says as she grips his wrists, eagerly anticipating the adrenaline rush.

Simon gives her a smile that clearly says 'I think you're crazy' before abruptly twisting and slamming Erza onto the mat.

Erza laughs as her the adrenaline leaves her head and she looks up to see Simon's strong jaw right above her. She admires his slight five-o'clock shadow as she follows the line of his jaw up to his dark locks dangling past his ears before flicking her eyes to his.

He stares at her unblinkingly, his jaw clenching subtly (she wouldn't have even noticed if he wasn't so close). He licks his lips before sitting upright, dragging her up with him. "So," he says quietly, "wanna try again?"

Erza's grin is still plastered on her face and she tosses her hair over her shoulder before holding out her wrists. She stares at him expectantly until he grabs her wrists. Erza takes a moment before yanking him towards her and spinning on her knees. She nearly loses her balance until she slams his wrists down on the mat, almost falling on top of him.

Erza pushes up slightly and blinks down at Simon. "I did it!"

Simon gives her a half smile and wriggles his wrists. "Yup. Wanna try the other side now?"

Erza tugs him to his knees and waits as patiently as she can for him to get settled. Simon chuckles at her eagerness and grabs her wrists, smiling at her. Erza waits another moment before easily flipping him to the ground, though this time she loses her balance a little and ends up nose-to-nose with him.

Simon's adam's apple bobs. "Ah, you need to move your knee."

Erza looks down to see it lodged in Simon's ribs and she jumps away. "Sorry!"

Simon waves off her apologies. "Don't worry about it, it didn't hurt. Just remember to twist a bit more so that your knee ends up closer to my armpit. It's safer and you won't lose your balance so easily."

Erza nods eagerly and pats the floor in front of her. "Again!"

Simon cocks his head to the side. "You sure about that? I mean, you already have the basic gist of it down…"

Erza whips her head back and forth. "No, this beautiful art takes time and devotion, I won't give it any less than it deserves."

Simon blinks and shrugs hesitantly. "Uh, sure? If you really want to." Simon gives her a shrew look. "You up for me actually resisting this time?"

"You weren't going all out last time?" she demands, scowling at him. "Why would you insult such a beautiful art like that?!"

Simon waves his hands placatingly. "Look, I was just making sure you had the proper movements down. I tend to be like moving a brick wall, not everyone can move me on their first try." Simon scratches the back of his head. "Or first couple of tries." He contemplates for another moment before shrugging. "Sorry."

Erza flips her hair over her shoulder and scowls. "Don't do it again, I'm stronger than I look."

Simon chuckles nervously. "I don't doubt that," he says as he grabs her wrists, "I can just be harder to move-"

Erza laughs as she easily yanks Simon off balance and slams him down into the mat. She holds his wrists in place and and bumps her nose against his, the movement causing some of her long locks to spill over her shoulder. "Not difficult to move, huh?"

Simon raises his eyebrow at the challenge, his dark eyes dancing. "I wasn't properly balanced at the time." He smirks. "Doesn't count."

Erza releases him and flips her hair back. "Please, a true master is always prepared."

Simon snorts and settles himself onto his knees. "Try again. It won't be so easy."

Erza's smirk is probably a tad too predatory as she scoots towards Simon and holds out her wrists. Simon's smirk is especially smug when he grabs them.

Erza twists and pulls but, Simon doesn't budge. His teeth flash as he gently yanks her back to her starting position. "It's not about strength, you won't pull me anywhere like that. Use your hips and center."

Erza frowns in concentration before twisting again.

Simon still doesn't budge. "Too much twisting." He pulls her back. "Remember, hips, not shoulders."

Erza's frown deepens when he chuckles.

"I did warn you that I'm hard to move."

Erza pursues her lips before swiveling, finally pulling Simon off balance and slamming him down onto the mat eagerly. The only problem was she had used too much strength so she loses her balance at the end, causing her to collapse onto Simon's chest. They blink at each other before bursting into laughter.

Simon chuckles before sitting up on his elbows, causing Erza to slide back onto her heels. "Almost. If you had used your hips more instead of relying on sheer strength, you wouldn't have lost your balance."

Erza can't wipe her smile off her face even as she flips her hair over her shoulder haughtily. "I still got you off balance though." She bops him on the nose. "I win."

Simon rolls his eyes. "Whatever gets you to sleep at night. You done for the night?"

Erza cocks her eyebrow and turns to see the clock, which shows that it's only nine-forty. "We've only been at it for twenty-five minutes," she says dryly.

She sees Simon shrug out of the corner of her eye. "Newbies are usually sore after two hours of working out and you've been going even longer."

Erza turns her nose up into the air and sniffs. "I'm not like most people," she says in her loftiest voice, though the image is ruined once she winks.

Simon laughs. "Yeah, yeah, I guessed as much." Simon scratches the back of his neck, ducking his head. "Well, actually, the cleaning crew usually sweeps through here at about ten or so. Er, would you- uh…" Simon clears his throat. "You wanna go get some food? Or something?"

Erza blinks. "Right now?"

Simon blushes faintly. "If you don't-"

Erza's stomach growling cuts him off. She can feel a blush spreading across her cheeks and she tries to ignore her embarrassment. "It sounds lovely."

Simon grins with squinting eyes and a near non-existent dimple flashing, and Erza's heart stutters in her chest. She ducks her head in an attempt to hide her steadily growing blush, though she's pretty sure she failed when she sees Simon's grin grow.

He pushes himself up with a surprising grace for his size and holds him hand out to her. Erza smiles despite the blush that seems to be permanently stamped on her cheeks and takes his hand.

Simon pulls her up and waits until she's steady on her feet before he lets go. "So, food. Preferably non-campus food. Do you mind if I drive?"

Erza shrugs. "Fine by me. Where are we going?"

Simon shrugs, dusting off his hakama pants. "I know a good Indian food restaurant that's fairly cheap, I figured we could go there." He frowns slightly. "Wait, do you like Indian food?"

Erza nods and pats his shoulder reassuringly. "I love it."

Simon smiles, relief stamped on his face. "Oh good." He grabs his gym bag and starts walking backwards to the locker room, keeping his eyes on her. "So, give me a couple of minutes to go change and I'll meet you outside?"

Butterflies swirl in her stomach and her cheeks grow sore from her smile. "It's a date."

Simon trips and nearly falls, only barely managing to catch himself on a cupboard. He straightens, his cheeks rosy and his eyes wide.

Erza laughs. "Just for the record, that's the third time I've knocked you off your feet."

Simon snorts. "Second, actually. Now just wait for me to return the favor."

 _You already have_.

Erza flips her hair over her shoulder and sashays out of the room. "I can't wait."


End file.
